Added fairly recently, bees are far more than a fun little extra in Minecraft.
They create hives, which have honey in them. This highly useful substance can be farmed, formed, and put to use. Let's see how!
How to get honey
Finding the stuff is the hardest part when it comes to honey in Minecraft.
Bee nests will spawn in densely wooded areas. So biomes like Flower Forests are the best place to find them.
If you see a bee just follow it and it will eventually take you back to its nest.
EMBRACE THE SUN: Create your own flowery, buzzy, world
Once there you can collect honey by clicking on the nest while holding an empty bottle.
The bees won't be too happy with you so be ready to run! You can fight them off but given their scarcity killing bees isn't ideal.
What about honeycomb?
Honeycomb is also a highly useful item.
It can be gathered by using sheers on a bee nest.
READ MORE: Is Minecraft coming to PlayStation 5?
You'll need honeycomb if you want to make a beehive and have some local bees, so be sure to think about collecting that too.
How to breed bees in Minecraft
Like most passive mobs in Minecraft, you can breed bees and create your own little farm.
To get bees to follow you or mate you'll need flowers. basically, any flower will do.
READY TO HARVEST: A dripping hive means you can extract golden goods!
Make sure you have a beehive ready at your base once you've drawn bees in. To make it you'll need six wood planks and three honeycomb.
READ MORE: Where to get Minecraft cheap on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
You don't need to breed bees for a hive, as an empty one will be used as a home by bees in the area. However, its better to bring some with you if you intend on living away from a forest.
When is a beehive ready?
You can tell a beehive or nest is ready to be harvested when the honey is dripping out.
That's the best time to approach with your empty bottle or shears.
What is honey used for?
Honey can be consumed. It is a terrific food source, restoring six hunger and curing you of poison.
READ MORE: Minecraft Pocket Edition: Best Mods
It can also be crafted into honey blocks.
Honey blocks
These sticky blocks are sort of the opposite of slime.
MORE THAN DECORATIVE: Bees will feed on honey blocks too
You'll move slowly if you try to walk over them, and they'll also stop you jumping up to normal height.
You can use them as a safety measure at the bottom of towers as brushing against them in the air will slow you down. Users have even created parkour maps with them.
This can be a superb way of trapping mobs or setting defenses that are a little more eye-catching than just a fence.
READ MORE: Minecraft - How to get Netherite in Update 1.16.0
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Minecraft